Hi, weasels,
I’m so happy to be back at the computer to sort through the photos and write my city guide to Los Angeles. Although this morning, my thoughts are with our American friends in Florida, hit by the violent Hurricane Irma. Yes, two years ago, we were in this beautiful region, as rich in scenery as California.
But let’s stay positive! I really want to introduce you to the “City of Angels” that is Los Angeles. This huge city is fun because, whether you love it or hate it, it doesn’t leave you indifferent! Personally, I loved the diversity of LA: between the old-school Downtown and the “Bling Bling” side of Rodeo Drive and the beautiful neighborhoods, we discovered with our own eyes all the mythical places and landscapes of the American films and TV series that lulled our childhood, and for that alone, LA is worth the detour!
Here’s a look back at our stay in the city of starlets and corvettes. Are you ready?
Echo Park, Downtown LA and Hollywood Boulevard
When we arrived in Los Angeles, I was pleasantly surprised by the speed of the administrative formalities, contrary to what people say about the USA. Once we’d cleared the checkpoints and collected our luggage, we took an UBER to Ivy’s house in the Echo Park neighborhood, which we’d found on the HomeExchange website (I’ll tell you more about it in my article on preparing for the trip). UBER is very well developed in the U.S. and the cost is really low ($27 to get to the house).
As it’s already late, as soon as we’ve left our suitcases behind, we head out again to shop for breakfast and meals. For dinner, we are tempted by a Food-Truck serving Tacos! What better way to start eating local 🙂
Our first night goes well, despite waking up at 4:00 am and a somewhat upset stomach due to jet lag (9:00 am!).
After breakfast, we’re all eager to explore the neighborhood, which looks really quiet and nice with its little lake. Just a stone’s throw from the house, we set off to visit Carroll Avenue. It’s a street with the highest concentration of Victorian-style houses. The first is the house from the video clip for Mickaël Jackson’s “Thriller”! One of my favorite music videos and singers! It was great to be able to approach this house and hum the song :). It’s still in its original state and is starting to look a bit run-down, but it hasn’t lost any of its charm.
The other super-famous one, too, is the mansion of the Halliwell sisters from the series Charmed!!! It takes you right back to the 90s with Prue, Pipper and Phoebe 🙂 Yes, I admit I was a fan of witches and secretly dreamed of having magical powers 😉
The person who looks after the houses on the avenue is lovely and even let us into the house. A great start to our city tour.
After this introduction, we head down to Downtown LA to pick up our rental car and do some shopping at Ralph’s department store. Handy: the store has a free parking lot reserved for customers. We’ll use it the next day to come back and visit the Broad museum and finish exploring the neighborhood.
In old LA, we pass the majestic Walt Disney Concert Hall. This grandiose concert hall was built by architect Gehry on commission from Walt’s widow, Lillian Disney. She donated $50 million to the building’s construction.
After returning home for lunch and a little nap (thanks to jet lag :)), we hit the road again, heading for the Grove shopping center to buy Snapchat’s Spectacles. With the opening of the blog, it was essential for me to use social networks, including Snapchat. But as I have trouble with the tool, I thought the Spectacles were just great and super practical for sharing life moments like seeing sunsets, riding bikes, roller coasters… In short, sharing emotions! In short, to share emotions! And since they’re cheaper in the U.S. than in France, I didn’t hesitate to buy them at the Snapbot in the mall.
The Grove was a wonderful discovery, because without the glasses, I’m not sure we’d have visited it. But it’s really beautiful, like an amusement park but with stores 🙂 And at the end of the Grove, you can eat at the Farmer Market, where you’ll find little stalls selling pizza, hot dogs, salads etc… It’s really excellent, very famous and all the locals hang out there.
Once we’ve finished shopping, we head for Hollywood Boulevard to see the famous“Walk of Fame” stars and movie star footprints in front of the TCL Chinese Theater at 6928 Hollywood Boulevard. Situated along the Walk of Fame, it is a designated Los Angeles cultural-historical landmark, and is the venue for previews of most major Hollywood productions. In front, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of a larger-than-life Tom Cruise 🙂
With great luck, I stumbled upon my favorite Pharrell Williams star, as well as Walt Disney’s star!… #peterpansorsdececorps 🙂
The Broad, High Voltage Tattoo, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills
After an emotional first day, we return to LA’s Old Quarter at the start of our second day to discover the Broad Museum of Contemporary Art. Don’t miss this free museum! It’s really worth a visit. I’d advise you to get there early, otherwise you’ll have to be patient, as it’s very popular (sometimes you’ll have to wait an hour and a half). The museum holds some very rare pieces. During our visit, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of works by Takashi Murakami, including his largest, which measures 82 meters in length, and Jeff Koons’ “Tulips”, which I really admire. I also discovered and really enjoyed the work of Barbara Kruger.
After the museum, we continue strolling through Downtown. We take the opportunity to enter the famous Millennium Biltmore Hotel. This luxury hotel dates back to 1923, and has been recognized as a historic monument by the city. It hosted the Oscars eight times between 1931 and 1942, and was made famous by appearances in TV series such as Mad Men, Glee and The White House, and in movies such as Italian Heist, The Beverly Hills Cop, Spider-Man and Ghostbusters!
During our visit, they were finishing a shoot and we were able to watch a fashion show 🙂
In the afternoon, before heading off to discover the “bling-bling” side of LA towards Beverly Hills, we stopped by the tattoo parlour of the famous Kat Von D: High Voltage Tattoo, whose adventures I’d been able to follow on TV. I’m a big fan of Kat. I love her values and she’s a really talented artist. Seeing her living room in “real life” was a dream for me, especially the mural painted on the back of the living room. Unfortunately, Kat wasn’t there when we visited, but I was able to leave with a cap! I had it on my head for most of the stay!
Then it’s off to LA’s finest neighborhoods 🙂 Rodeo Drive is a sight to behold, with the world’s most expensive cars cruising around, roaring the horses they’ve got under the hood! It’s like the Champs-Élysées, but smaller and with even more luxury. French brands are very much in evidence: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior… and the women look like they’ve just been to the surgeon’s… !
We end the evening on the streets of Beverly Hills, trying to keep up with the minibuses that drive tourists past the gates of the stars’ huge mansions. Let’s be clear, you won’t see anything more than the entrances to the residences, so it’s not worth paying for this kind of tour.
Venice Beach and Santa Monica
Palm trees, beach, surfers, skateboarders…. Venice Beach and Santa Monica really are places where “coolness” is the watchword! For a day, to make the most of the coast, we rented bikes. To do so, we found a great offer on Groupon for $38 a day for 4 bikes! (the rental company was Bike Rental Curious).
Another good idea: for parking, right next to Venice, in perpendicular streets, you can park for free as long as you pay attention to the signs and avoid the days when they pass to clean the street.
Don’t waste your time visiting the Marina – we didn’t really find anything extraordinary there. But do take the time to lose yourself in the Venice Canal Historic District. The area is quiet and really cute with its canals. Some of the houses are very eccentrically decorated, just like their owners.
In Venice, stop to watch the bodybuilders and athletes near “Muscle Beach”, then walk along the beach to the skate park to admire the skateboarders. On this subject, we were lucky enough to attend a film shoot. A professional skateboarder was on hand to perform tricks.
At lunchtime, enjoy sandwiches and smoothies at Café Collage before hopping back on your bike and heading back along the embankment towards Santa Monica and its famous “Pier”. Fall back into childhood with a ride on the merry-go-round.
If you’d like to go for a swim, I’d better warn you: the water is around 22°! Personally, I stayed on my towel 🙂
On our way back in the evening, we pass the LACMA museum to take a photo of Chris Burden’s “Urban Light”.
California Science Center, Hollywood Sign and the Getty Center
To round off our stay in Los Angeles, we decided to start the day with a visit to the California Science Center. You can visit part of the center free of charge, including the most interesting, which consists in admiring the Space Shuttle Endeavour, NASA’s fifth and most recent space shuttle. For teenagers, this was a really fun visit. In addition to the shuttle, I really enjoyed looking at the return modules from the Apollo and Mercury programs.
In the afternoon, we set off in the direction of the Hollywood Sign to take some pretty pictures. We’ve found the perfect address for this: 3000 canyon lake drive. You’ve got parking and you’re right under it!
Before heading home to pack our bags, we head to the heights of LA to visit the Getty Center. Parking is charged ($10), but the museum is free. A small shuttle bus drops you off at the foot of a majestic villa. If the collection of paintings isn’t exceptional, the view of LA, the gardens and the architecture is well worth a visit.
We enjoy the city one last time before heading home.
The next day, it’s off to Las Vegas, the American parks and San Francisco! I hope you’ve enjoyed this city guide. The rest of the trip as soon as possible and more looks to be discovered soon on the blog.
Frankly, I’d love to come back to LA because there’s so much more to see: Chinatown, Olvera Street, UCLA, all the way to Santa Barbara and Malibu… See a baseball game… In short, my city guide isn’t complete, but you can make your own selection of things to see according to your desires and tastes!
Don’t hesitate to leave me comments, it motivates me to write.
I send you my love.
